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Published by R.J. Keller

R. J. Keller is the author of Waiting For Spring. An avid independent movie enthusiast, she was Managing Editor of The Movie Fanatic website and created episodes of the writer-centric YouTube series, Inside The Writers' Studio, with author Kristen Tsetsi. She co-hosted Book Chatter with Stacey Cochran from 2011-2014. She lives in Central Maine with her family, where she enjoys gardening, collecting geeky memorabilia, and watching other people cook.
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Mary, I have nothing against the romance genre, and there’s nothing in my post or comments to suggest that I do. I have been, and still am, surprised when I see Waiting For Spring listed as a romance novel because it isn’t one. Period. Just like it isn’t a sci fi/ fantasy.

I’m sorry you’ve encountered “literary snobbery” during your online travels, but you should bitch about where you find it…not here.

I can see why some might classify it as a romance novel, but however you classify it – I loved it.

I loved how the beginning started – it was a disjointed feeling, almost … I don’t want to offend you and say ‘amateurish’, but that kinda how it is portrayed, and … with good reason, once you read it. It reads in some places, as a diary or a recounting of events, rather than just a “this happens here, why, and when and it has to go in this order”. You know – cookie cutter structure. It felt like it had a written structure that worked because of how the main character is at the beginning versus the end. I don’t want to give away anything about the book itself, so I won’t go into more detail.

There were places I laughed (extinct monkeys in the Congo… lol), places I teared up, and places I flat out cried. You can really feel what is going on – and that makes it great. The plot SEEMS like it’s all over, but if you really sit there and think about it, then link everything together on how it reflects through the events & characters, it fits exactly how it was meant to fit.

Thanks so much for popping in with that. You made my day! Yes, I wrote and edited Waiting For Spring very deliberately, everything from when certain events were revealed to the various styles of narration. And I’m very happy that you liked the hippie chimps. (FYI: They’re real…Bonobo chimps. Gotta love ’em.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo

I’m glad to know where you read the book. Sid Leavitt has been very kind to me, and to other authors, by giving us a forum for our work. Even though his blog is on what I hope is a temporary hiatus, I STRONGLY recommend his place for finding good reads.